Timeline of Troll History
Below is a Timeline of the major events in Troll History, all 100% accurate Warcraft lore, but involving some conjecture. This forgotten lore demonstrates that the Trolls were the original masters of Azeroth, and that they are perhaps the most important race in Azeroth's long history. All of this timeline is based upon the Warcraft games, including books from within World Of Warcraft, such as 'Arathor and the The Troll Wars', which was acquired from the great Dwarven library of Ironforge by Boomshaka's spy network. Note that due to the vastness of time, some dates are approximate or conjecture. All dates are given as WC1, (years prior-to/after the events of Wacraft 1). Beginning of Time The universe is formed by some unknown event. The Depths Of Time At least three sentient groups emerge within the universe, one, the metal-skinned Titans, set about shaping the various worlds scattered throughout the darkness of the vast cosmos into worlds of life. Another, the demon races, who reside within alternate planes of existence, attempted to hinder their efforts, and eventually corrupted a great Titan lord, who had been fighting the campaign against them, to be their leader. His name was Sargeras. When the Titans came upon one world, the early Azeroth, and began shaping it, they encountered a powerful race of elemental gods, worshipped by the elemental inhabitants of the primordial and chaotic planet, but defeated them in a conflict, and chained them under the surface of the planet. Without these old gods to tie their energy to the material plane, the elementals vanished from Azeroth into one of the infinate alternate planes of existence, and Azeroth settled down. Creating various races such as the Dwarves and Sea Giants to shape their planet, the Titans succeeded in creating a world teaming with life. Upon leaving their latest creation, out of untold countless others, they placed a large pool of energy in the middle of the single massive continent which then existed, to act as a fountain of arcane energy, unaware of the future danger it would bring. This made Azeroth special, as it had a unique link to the alternate plane of arcane magic, but also to the curruption of the demons. It is assumed that Trolls were one of the original races created by the Titans during this time, and were perhaps the first to awaken, although if they had a clear purpose to fulfill on Azeroth, like the Dwarves, this role has long been lost to the sands of time. During this age, the Titans remained unaware as the Burning Legion of demons, under the command of Sargeras, destroyed countless worlds, just as the Titans had created them. Nobody knows the extent of the demonic damage, the only thing certain is that at least two planets, Azeroth and Draenor, whose relative locations in the universe are unknown, remained unseen by the Burning Legion's crusade of chaos. Late Pre-History At an unknown time in history, amongst all the life of Azeroth, a race known as the Trolls, who were extreamly intelligent and possessed great strength and capacity to regererate wounds, rose to prominance amongst a world where most other intelligent species were still primatives without language or science, or were yet to 'awaken'. Over time, this race, and its huge populations, spread to all corners of the globe like no other species, and split into five sub-races, distinguisehed from each other by their environment and society, but equal in biology - the Jungle Trolls, Forest Trolls, Ice Trolls, Desert Trolls and Dark Trolls. At least two of these existed and thrived in this age where pre-historic creatures still roamed Azeroth, and over time established the first civilisations on Azeroth, marking the start of recorded history and culture, and the transformation of Azeroth from a wilderness into a planet where civilisation could exist. -16,000 Years WC1 About 16,000 years ago, (long before the Night Elves foolishly called down the wrath of the Burning Legion), Trolls lorded over much of Kalimdor, (which was at the time, the name of the single continent on Azeroth). There were twin Troll Empires - the Gurubashi Empire of the Southeastern jungles - and the Amani Empire of the Middle Forestlands - both of which which dominated most of the globe. They ruled their vast empires from the cities of Zul'Gurub, (in what is today Stranglethorn Vale), and Zul'Aman, (in what is today Quel'Thalas), respectively. These two races of Trolls would be later known as the Jungle Trolls and Forest Trolls respectively. There were smaller tribes that lived far to the north, (in the region now known as Northrend), and these tribes founded a small nation known as Gundrak, but never achieved the size or prosperity of the Southern empires. These Trolls were perhaps later to become the Ice Trolls of Northrend and Khaz Modan, and their city, Gundrak, would later become a citadel in the Nerubian Empire, presumably after being conquered. Additionally, at some point, possibly more towards modern times, the race of Desert Trolls in the western regions also broke away and formed a similar small Empire to that of the northern Trolls, with their capital in Zul'Farrak. It is speculated that the last of the five Troll races, the Dark Trolls, are either remenants of early Trolls whom never participated in the forming of great civilisation, or chose to create their society in the caves of the world, never forming a civilisation of their own. The Gurubashi and Amani Empires had little love for one another, but rarely warred against each other. At the time, their greatest common enemy was a third empire - the civilization of Azi'Aqir. The Aqir were intelligent insectoids who ruled the lands of the far west. These clever insectoids were greatly expansionistic and icredibly evil. The Aqir were obsessed with eradicating all non-insect life from the fields of Kalimdor. The Trolls fought them for many thousands of years, but never succeeded in winning a true victory over the Aqir. Eventually, due to the Troll's persistence, Azi'Aqir split in half as its citizens fled to separate colonies in the far northern and southern regions of the continent. Two insectoid city-states emerged - Azjol-Nerub in the northern wastes, and Ahn'Qiraj in the southern desert. Though the Trolls suspected that there were other Aqir colonies beneath Kalimdor, their existence was never verified. With the insectoids driven into exile, their Empire demolished by the might of Troll civilisation and milennia of military campaign, the twin Troll Empires returned to business as usual. Despire their great victory, neither civilization expanded much farther than their original boundaries. However, ancient texts speak of a small faction of Trolls that broke off from the Amani Empire and founded their own colony in the heart of the dark continent. There, these brave pioneers discovered the cosmic Well of Eternity which transformed them into beings of immense power. Some legends suggest that these adventurous Trolls were the first Night Elves, which would explain the resembelence of the two races and their cultures, though this theory has never been proven. -10,000 Years WC1 Aside from their shadowy origins, it is clear that the Night Elves came to power soon after their discovery of the Well of Eternity. Despite the Trolls' attempts to keep them from expanding their territories, the Night Elves built up a mighty empire that expanded rapidly across primordial Kalimdor. Wielding fierce arcane magics never before imagined by the Trolls, whom only used the natural magics of the spirit world, the Night Elves had little trouble doing what the evil Aqir could never do: topple the two greatest empires in the world. The Night Elves, from their relatively small Empire, systematically dismantled the Troll's defenses and supply chains using their recklessly powerfull magics and guerilla tactics. The Trolls, unable to counter the Elves' destructive magics, and unable to convert their huge armies into effective anti-guerilla forces fast enough, buckled under the onslaught of these early powerfull Elves, whom had the massive power of the arcane magics still fresh from the Well Of Eternity. The Night Elves proved to every bit as cunning and bloodthirsty as the savage Trolls - incurring the latter race's eternal hatred and disdain. The Gurubashi and Amani Empires fragmented within only a few short years, their Empires reduced to individual cities, cenetered around the twin capitals. It is unclear what role, if any, the Desert, Ice and Dark Trolls played in this conflict. -8,000 Years WC1 The long centuries following the Great Sundering of the world were difficult ones for the Troll races. Famine and terror were commonplace within the broken kingdoms. The Gurubashi Trolls, driven to deperate ends, sought aid from ancient, mystical forces. Though both of the Troll kingdoms shared a central belief in a great pantheon of primitive gods, the Gurubashi fell under the sway of the darkest one. Hakkar the Soulflayer, a vile, bloodthirsty spirit, heard the Trolls' call and decided to aid them. Hakkar gave his secrets of blood to the Gurubashi and helped them extend their civilization across most of Stranglethron Vale and certain islands of the South Seas. Though he brought them great power, Hakkar wanted more and more for his efforts. The bloodthirsty god demanded souls be sacrificed to him daily. He dreamed of gaining access to the physical world so he could devour the blood of all mortal creatures. In time the Gurubashi realized what kind of creature they had courted with - and turned against him. The strongest tribes rose up against Hakkar and his loyal priests - the Atal'ai. The terrible war that ensued between Hakkar's followers and the rest of the Gurubashi tribes is spoken of only in whispers. The budding empire was shattered by the magic unleashed between the angry god and his rebel children. Just as the battle seemed most hopeless, the Trolls succeeded in destroying Hakkar's avatar and banishing him from the world. Even his Atal'ai priests were eventually driven from the capital of Zul'Gurub and forced to survive in the uncharted swamplands of the north, today known as the Swamp Of Sorrows. Within those shadowy fens they built a great temple to their fallen god - the Temple of Atal'Hakkar - where they could continue to do their master's work. The rest of the Gurubashi tribes went their separate ways after the great civil war had left their lands in ruins. The Skullsplitter, Bloodscalp and Darkspear tribes set off to claim their own lands within the vast jungles of Stranglethorn and the islands of the seas. Though a fragile peace had settled over the broken Jungle Troll empire, some spoke of a prophecy that Hakkar would one day be reborn into the world - and on that day - he would comsume it whole. -6,000 Years WC After millenia of the Burning Legion passing into history, some Night Elves began to again experiment with the dangerous arcane energies which had devestrated their short-lived control of Azeroth. Unwilling to give up their precious magics, a small band of the now reclusive Night Elves was exiled from Kalimdor. Deep within the northern forests of the continent, they founded the kingdom of Quel'Thalas and vowed to create a mighty empire which would dwarf that of their Kaldorei cousins. Unfortunately they soon learned that Quel'Thalas was founded upon an ancient Troll city that the Forest Trolls still held to be sacred - the ancient capital of Zul'Aman itself. Almost immediately, the Amani began to attack the elven settlements en masse, with huge forces which had been healing for millennia, ever since their Empire had been confined to Lorderon by the militarism of the then-powerfull Night Elves. Because the Forest Trolls had not suffered a similar catastrophy as their Gurubashi breatheren in the south had, through the worship of Hakkar, they were still a unified empire, with many cities throughout the vastness of Lorderon still under their control. The stubborn elves, unwilling to give up their new land, utilized the magics which they had gleaned from the Well of Eternity and kept the savage Trolls at bay. Under Dath'Remar's leadership, they were able to defeat the Amani warbands that outnumbered them ten to one. Some Elves, wary of the Kaldorei's ancient warnings, felt that their use of magic might possibly draw the attention of the banished Burning Legion. Therefore, they decided to mask their lands within a protective barrier which would still allow them to work their enchantments. They constructed a series of monolithic Runestones at various points around Quel'Thalas which marked the boundaries of the magic barrier. The Runestones not only masked the Elves' magic from extra-dimensional threats, but the Elves believed that it helped to frighten away the superstitious Troll warbands as well. As time wore on, Quel'Thalas became a shining monument to the High Elves' efforts and magical prowess. Its beauteous palaces were crafted in the same architectural style as the ancient halls of Kalimdor, yet they were interwoven with the natural topography of the land. Quel'Thalas had become the shining jewel that the elves had longed to create. The Convocation of Silvermoon was founded as the ruling power over Quel'Thalas, though the Sunstrider Dynasty maintained a modicum of political power. Comprised of seven of the greatest High Elf lords, the Convocation worked to secure the safety of the Elven lands and people. Surrounded by their protective barrier, the High Elves remained unmoved by the old warnings of the Kaldorei and continued to use magic flagrantly in almost all aspects of their lives. For nearly four thousand years the High Elves lived peacefully within the secluded safety of their kingdom. Nevertheless, the vindictive Trolls were not so easily defeated, thier Empire ever surrounding the Elven lands. They plotted and schemed in the depths of the forests and waited for the numbers of their warbands to grow. Finally, a mighty Troll army charged out from the shadowy forests and once again laid siege to the shining spires of Quel'Thalas. -2,700 Years WC1 As the High Elves fought for their lives against the Trolls' fierce onslaught, the scattered, nomadic humans of Lordaeron fought to consolidate their own tribal lands. The tribes of early humanity raided each other's settlements with little heed for racial unification or honor. Yet one tribe, known as the Arathi, saw that the Trolls were becoming too great a threat to ignore. The Arathi wished to bring all of the tribes under its rule so that they could provide a unified front against the Troll warbands. Over the course of six years, the cunning Arathi outmaneuvered and outfought the rival tribes. After every victory, the Arathi offered peace and equality to the conquered people; thus, they won the loyalty of those they had beaten. Eventually the Arathi tribe came to include many disparate tribes, and the ranks of its army grew vast. Confident that they could hold their own against the Troll warbands or even the reclusive Elves if need be, the Arathi warlords decided to construct a mighty fortress city in the southern regions of Lordaeron. The city-state, named Strom, became the capital of the Arathi nation, Arathor. As Arathor prospered, humans from all over the vast continent traveled south to the protection and safety of Strom. United under one banner, the human tribes developed a strong, optimistic culture. Thoradin, the king of Arathor, knew that the mysterious Elves in the northlands were under constant siege by the Trolls, but refused to risk the safety of his people in defense of reclusive strangers. Many months passed as rumors of the Elves' supposed defeat trickled down from the north. It was only when weary ambassadors from Quel'Thalas reached Strom that Thoradin realized how great the Troll threat truly was. The Elves persuaded Thoradin that the Troll armies were vast and that once the Trolls had destroyed Quel'Thalas, they would move on to attack the southlands. The desperate Elves, in dire need of military aid, hastily agreed to teach certain select humans to wield magic in exchange for their help against the warbands. Thoradin, distrustful of any magic, agreed to aid the elves out of necessity. Almost immediately, Elven sorcerers arrived in Arathor and began to instruct a group of humans in the ways of magic. The Elves found that although humans were innately clumsy in their handling of magic, they possessed a startling natural affinity for it. One hundred men were taught the very basics of the elves' magical secrets: no more than was absolutely necessary to combat the Trolls. Convinced that their human students were ready to aid in the struggle, the Elves left Strom and traveled north alongside the mighty armies of King Thoradin. The united Elf and Human armies clashed against the overwhelming Troll warbands at the foot of the Alterac Mountains. The battle lasted for many days, but the unflagging armies of Arathor never tired or gave an inch of ground before the Troll onslaught. The Elven lords deemed that the time had come to release the powers of their magic upon the enemy. The hundred human magi and a multitude of Elven sorcerers called down the fury of the heavens and set the Troll armies ablaze. The elemental fires prevented the Trolls from regenerating their wounds and burned their tortured forms from the inside out. As the Troll armies broke and attempted to retreat, Thoradin's armies ran them down and slaughtered every last one of their soldiers. The Trolls would never fully recover from their defeat, and history would never see the Trolls rise as one nation again. Assured that Quel'Thalas was saved from destruction, the Elves made a pledge of loyalty and friendship to the nation of Arathor and to the bloodline of its king, Thoradin. Humans and Elves would nurture peaceful relations for ages to come. In belief that the Trolls were now absent in the northlands, the Elves of Quel'Thalas bent their efforts towards rebuilding their glorious homeland, ignorant of the survival of the Forest Trolls. -2,500 Years WC1 The Dwarves, finnally awakening from their slumber under the earth of Khaz Modan, where they had lain since the Titans had departed, founded a great city under the mountains of the region, but soon overflowed out onto the surface of the land, leading to their meeting with those who ruled the surface of Khaz Modan - the Ice Trolls. At some unknown time, perhaps after the great collapse of the larger Troll Empires, the Ice Trolls had founded a relatively small yet powerfull Empire in Khaz Modan, similar to that of Gundrak in Northrend. The Dwarves had stayed clear of involvement with surface dwellers thus far, but seeking new lands, they ruthlessly turned their weapons upon the Ice Trolls, destroying thier empire, claiming their lands, and driving them into the many caves of the Coldridge Valley, Shimmer Ridge and Frostmane Hold, thus, like the Elves and humans, forever incurring the wrath of the Trolls, and turning them into ancestral enemies. 0 Year WC1 Thousands of years passed since the ancient times when the Elves had last wreaklessly brought doom upon Azeroth in their quest for power against the Trolls, but years of use of the arcane magics by humans and Elves finnally attracted the wrath of the Burning Legion once more. After considerable preperation, the invasion of the Orcs from Draenor began as part of the first wave of a new Burning Legion invasion. The Orcs, whom were once a shamanistic and honourable warrior society, had been currupted on their homeworld of Draenor by the Burning Legion for years in preperation for their use in the invasion of Azeroth, and now had been turned into a massive dedicated miliatary machine, which emplyed all the scientific knolwedge of the fierce greenskins for the purpose of warfare. Successfully testing their capacity for war on the peacefull Draenei people of their homeworld, they commenced the invasion of the planet Azeroth on behalf of their newfound gods, the demons of the Burning Legion, whom wished to send them as a pre-invasion force. The Orcish Horde proved to be more than a match for the ill-prepared humans, and almost suceeded in sustaining momentum for the conquering of all humans. +6 Years WC1 The Horde, now led by Warchief Orgrim Doomhammer, brought in Ogres from its homeworld of Draenor as brutal mercinaries, forged deals with the Goblin trade princes, and conscripted the remenants of the Amani Forest Trolls into its fold. The Amani become invaluable members of the Horde, and their leader, Zul'jin, a revelotionary who wanted to unite all the Troll tribes, led the powerfull remenants of the ancient Amani Empire into battle alongside the Orcs, using their combined forces as an oppertunity to finnally claim back the lands of Zul'Aman. Setting out on a massive campaign to overrun the Dwarf Kingdom of Khaz Modan and the southern reaches of Lordaeron, the Horde effortlessly decimated all opposition, their newfound partners playing no small part. Just as a the new age had dawned with the second invasion of Azeroth by the forces of darkness, the Trolls were once again at the very center of things, on the verge of reclaiming the Amani Empire after 10,000 years. +8 Years WC1 After years of setbacks and defeats from the Horde's onslaught, the Alliance of the Humans, Elves, Gnomes and Dwarves drove back the Horde in a counter-attack, and by sealing the Dark Portal, and destroying the planet Draenor, (whos frangments would later be called the 'Outland'), they forever ensured that the Horde could not invade again, or gain support. Having their supplies cut off, thus ensuring the loss of the war by the Horde, the xenophobic and vicious Forest Trolls abandoned the Orcs to rot in the Alliance internment camps, ending their alliance of conveinience and retreating back into the forests to ensure that even if the Orcs wouldnt, they would survive. Although the majority of Forest Trolls returned to their homelands, some who were still loyal to the first Horde, (or perhaps currupted by he demons who controled them), remained with the un-captured rogue Orcs who still remain dedicated to their demon lords today. +12 Years WC1 The defeat of the Horde frustrated the Burning Legion and fueled yet another invasion of Azeroth before the final apoclypse would begin. The Lich King, in command of a new force of Undead Scourge, loyal to the Burning Legion, were to act as a second pre-invasion force, after the Orcs defeat, and they begun their incidious inflitration of Azeroth and its civilisation by setting up base on the desolate frozen continent of Northrend, and conquering the Nerubian Empire, once great enemies of the ancient Troll Empires, now reduced to servents of the Lich King. Gradually the new threat built, as cults sprung up within the peoples of the Alliance, and necrmoncers developed a plague that would forever transform the face of Azeroth. References This timeline was compiled by Shirabaz of the Shadowdrum Tribe. It was adapted from the Shadowdrum Tribe Forums for fair use. Category:Timelines Category:Troll Category:Guides Category:Roleplaying Guides